Seán Kelly MEP faces an uphill battle to secure Fine Gael’s nomination for the Presidency after former cabinet minister Heather Humphreys quickly established a strong lead in parliamentary support this week.

Both Mr Kelly and Ms Humphreys formally announced their intention to seek the party’s nomination on Tuesday morning.
Each candidate will need the support of 20 members of the parliamentary party, 25 councillors and five members of the Fine Gael executive council in order to secure a place on the ballot.
Ms Humphreys has already secured at least 29 public declarations from TDs and senators.
Party insiders suggested her tally could climb above 30 by the end of the week, giving her a comfortable cushion well above the required threshold.
Among her backers are ministers Peter Burke and Patrick O’Donovan, junior ministers Neale Richmond, Hildegarde Naughton, Colm Brophy and Emer Higgins, and a wide spread of TDs and senators including David Maxwell, John Paul O’Shea, Paula Butterly, Frank Feighan, Catherine Callaghan, Alan Dillon and Maria Byrne.
In contrast, Mr Kelly had secured the backing of six members of the parliamentary party.
Those include Clare TD Joe Cooney, who said that as a Munster man and a GAA man he would be proud to support Mr Kelly, as well as Senators Michael Kennelly and Garrett Ahearn and TDs Noel McCarthy, Brian Brennan and Michael Murphy.
Mr Kelly, a former president of the GAA who has served as an MEP for Ireland South since 2009, entered the race following the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness on health grounds.
He said the change in circumstances led him to reflect on whether now was the right time to put himself forward.
In a statement, Mr Kelly said: “As someone who has devoted my life to serving communities across Ireland, as a teacher, as President of the GAA, and for the past sixteen years as MEP for Ireland South, I am confident that I can represent the country with integrity, inclusiveness, and a commitment to our communities. To be entrusted with that honour would be the greatest privilege of my life.”
He thanked his constituents in Ireland South for their support and added that a competitive process would be good for Fine Gael as it prepared for a presidential election contest.
Ms Humphreys, a Cavan-Monaghan native, is also a former cabinet minister with strong links to Northern Ireland. She has spoken in the past about her Unionist family background and is viewed by many in the party as a figure who could broaden Fine Gael’s appeal in the race for the Áras.
The contest to secure the Fine Gael nomination will now move quickly, with both candidates expected to spend the coming weeks canvassing members of the parliamentary party, councillors and executive members.
For Mr Kelly, the challenge will be to build momentum from his base in Munster and within the GAA community. For Ms Humphreys, the task will be to consolidate her early lead and demonstrate her national reach.